Treacherous
by Krissitintin
Summary: What if Eponine was just as blind as Marius? What would happen if the impenetrable marble statue broke- and there was nobody there to pick up the pieces?
1. Chapter 1

I am hurrying down the street towards the cafè, not wanting to be late for our meeting. This could be the time we can finally begin to spread the word to those who live on the streets of Paris, so they shall fight with us when the time comes. Marius claims to have befriended one of them, a street girl named Eponine. Hopefully, she will be able to give us some insight on how the people will respond.  
"Our meticulous leader is late! Has the world come upon it's end?" Comferre jokes.  
"Very funny, Combferre. Classes were held late today, if you must know."  
"Never mind, never mind, come this way Enjorlas. You simply must see the girl Marius dragged in. It will be a miracle if she even understands what we are speaking of!"  
"Monsieur, I may live on the street, but I am no fool. You would be surprised at how street knowledge could help a person more than whatever it is you learn at school," a sweet voice comes from behind us. I whirl around, and meet the eyes of a girl not much younger than I am. I take in her sunken cheeks and diminutive waist. Obviously, she is very much in need of a good meal.  
Attempting to make up for Combferre's foolish statement, I welcome her. "Ah, you must be mademoiselle Eponine. I am Enjorlas."  
"Monsieur, call me Eponine. Now, Monsieur Marius has spoken to me of your plans for revolution here in Paris."  
"Yes, we plan to overthrow the government, in a way. We wish for a world where everyone everyone shall be treated as equals. Where a person is not stuck in the social class they were born into," I explain, hoping that she will agree with my ideals.  
Eponine stares up at me with sparkling brown eyes, brow furrowed. "Is this all the men you have, Monsieur? For I am afraid that you will need many more if you plan to fight."  
"There are a few more men, not everyone is capable of attending every meeting," I inform her, wondering what is going on though her mind.  
"Still, it is not nearly enough." Eponine states.  
"Well, the people will surely fight with us once they understand what we are fighting for," Courfeyrac proclaims. "That is where you come in, mademoiselle. Being of your, er, social status, we believe that you will know how we can appeal to the people. What is the best way to get our message across?"  
"That will take a lot of thought, Monsieur. The majority of them can not read nor write, so pamphlets and things of that nature will do nothin. I believe that the best way will be to go out in groups, not to small nor to large. Remember, there is safety in number, but to many people will frighten them. Groups of two or three should do. Avoid the gangs, especially the Patron-Minette, they are nothing but trouble. Aim for men with families, for they will want a good life for their children."  
"So you believe this could work, Eponine?" Marius wonders hopefully.  
She looks at him with bliss, as if this is the first time he has ever asked for her opinion. How strange.  
"I do not want to disappoint, but it is unlikely the people will fight with you. The people of my status are cowards. They do what they can to keep their families alive, and that is that. It will take a lot of convincing.  
"You are not speaking as if it is impossible. What do you think will happen." I request. It is not a question, it is a demand. The entire revolution, what we have spent years working on, may come down to what this gamine girl has to say.  
Eponine hesitates, obviously debating with herself over what to say.

"I-it is not impossible, Monsieur. But it will be incredibly difficult." Glancing at the clock, her face clouds over with worry. "My apologizes, Monsieur, but I must be off. Father will worry if I am out to late." With that she swiftly exits the room, and we can hear her clambering down the stairs.

She is a peculiar one, this Eponine. She does not act like any of the bourgeois girls, nor like the other girls from her social class. She is knowledgable, and obviously has had a good education, even if it was many years ago. She intrigues me. Eponine may become a distraction, but she is needed to make the uprisings work.  
"What do you think of her, Enjorlas?" Marius asks.  
"She may be useful to the cause," I respond distractedly. I can not get the thought of her eyes out of my mind, of her worry when she saw the time. It was obviously something larger than the reason she stated, and I plan to figure it out.  
"Shall I bring her to the next meeting?" Another questions hurled at me, which I barely process. My mind is still on the girl.  
"I suppose." Snap out of it, Enjorlas. I think. You promised yourself a long time ago that you would not be distracted by girls. So I emerge myself back into the world of revolution and barricades, but she still haunts me in the back of my mind.


	2. Chapter 2

It has been two weeks since Marius introduced us to Eponine, and despite the initial impressions of her, the majority of the group has grown very fond of her. At the moment, she is laughing rambunctiously with an already drunk Grantaire, trying to convince him that, no, he does not need another drink and, yes, he really should considering kicking the habit altogether. Grantaire simply offers her some wine, but she refuses. Eponine has continuously brushed off our offers of food and drink, to prideful to accept anything she has not worked for.  
"Enjolras, are you even listening to me? What are could staring out anyway?" Joly demands. Before I could look away, his eyes follow mine, and land on Eponine. "Oh, I see."  
"It's nothing, Joly," I respond before he could make a joke of it.  
He simply nods his head and smirks, as if he knows something I do not. Eager to change the subject, and throwing one last glance at Eponine, I completely immerse myself in the revolution.  
A great deal of time later, nearly everyone has left the cafè. The only people left are Joly, Combferre, Eponine, and I. Eponine is curled up in a chair by the fire, her brow furrowed as she takes her time reading the book in her lap. From what I have learned from Eponine, she takes great pride in her ability to read, something most people of her status can not do. Joly, Combferre, and I are still plotting, but have come to a dead end. We are completely out of ideas on how to rally the people.  
"That is it! This is simply never going to happen, we should continue with our original idea!" I shout in frustration. Eponine's head shoots up, giving me a look of surprise. I rarely show my frustration.

"But Enjolras, you head what Eponine said. Our original plan, although it seems as if it would work, would do nothing for the people," Combferre reasons. I understand his point, but sometimes the entire revolution appears to be failing, and it has hardly begun.

"I suggest we all have a night's rest before we approach this topic again," Joly urged, in an attempt to mediate.

"Fine," sighing, I stood up and made my way to the door, just in time to collide with Marius. "Marius, what on earth are you doing here?" I growl. I had no patience for the love-sick boy.

Ignoring me, Marius made his way to Eponine, pulling an envelope out of his pocket. "Eponine, would you please do me this favor? I-I have a letter, for Cosette, and I need it to be delivered to her as soon as possible. I know that it is late, but who knows the streets better than you? Please, Eponine?"

I watched as her face fell, as she glanced towards the ground. Pontmercy could not even see what was right in front of him, not ever since that blasted Cosette entered his life. As he complimented her street knowledge, a slight smirk made its way to her face.

Sighing, Eponine replied, "I suppose. But I will have to deliver it in the morning, as my father is expecting me home tonight."

"But, Eponine, she needs it tonight! Please, my friend," he begged.

"Monsieur, I may know the streets, but the way to her home is incredibly dangerous at night, especially for a lady. Even I would not be stupid enough to venture there," she explained.

"I'm sure Cosette can wait a few hours for the letter, Marius. Eponine is correct, the streets are no place for a lady at night," I butted in. I would not have Eponine running around there at night, simply to deliver a lovesick boy's letter.

"Very well. But deliver as soon as you can."

"I will try my best. I do have work tomorrow, you know," she said. "Now, I must be going. Father expected me home many hours ago, but I was far to engrossed in my book to notice the time. Au revoir." With that, she stalked out of the room, clutching the letter as if to destroy it. But she never would, for it was Marius', and she would do whatever was in her power to make him content.


	3. Chapter 3

I watch in horror as the scene unfolds before me. Eponine lunges in front of Marius, in a desperate attempt to saver her love's life. She grasps the musket, and redirects the shot so the bullet enters her body instead. Her mouth makes the shape of an o as she stumbles backward, clutching her middle. She crumples to the ground, gasping for breaths. No Enjorlas, I think, Don't let yourself be distracted.

I swiftly take the stick of fire from Marius, and nod my head in Eponine's direction. It pains me so much, to not be with her in her dying moments, but she will want to be with Marius. Stupid boy. If only he knew what was right in front of him.

So I ignore my feelings, ignore the fact that I am so hopelessly in love with this young gamine. A street urchin who was not only in love with someone else, but who was currently breathing her last breaths, but not in my arms. I had dreamed of a world where it was acceptable for people of two different social groups to be married. Of a world where I could finally be with the only girl I have ever loved. But this could no longer be. Not because we will not win, although even that seems unrealistic at the moment. But simply because the girl of my dreams is dying and there was absolutely nothing I can do about it.

I slyly gaze upon the couple, as he holds her in his arms, and she confesses her true feelings. Poor Marius, he looks incredibly confused, but returns those three little words. "I love you," he whispers back, though not meaning it in the way she does. Her eyes flutter shut, and she expires. Eponine Thenardier is no more, and there will never be another as intriguing as her. In that moment, my world breaks. Instead of telling Eponine how I felt, I had put my heart and soul into the revolution, but for what? The very thing I had used to distract myself from her, had killed her.

Marius erupts in tears, cradling Eponine's body to his chest, grieving over his friend's death. After he leaves a lingering kiss on her forehead, I collect her carcass for his arms. "I shall put her in a save place. I am truly sorry, my friend." Addressing the group, I bellow, "We will not let her die in vain! This revolution was started so people such as her would have a safe life, and we shall continue our fight for freedom!"

Replies of "Here, here!" ring about our lonely barricades as I amble inside the café, aching for solitude. I collapse to the ground, tenderly cradling her. Why, oh why did I not tell her how I felt? Maybe then, she would not have died. But alas, it is to late. Sobs rack throughout my body. I allow myself this one weakness, for the girl who altered my life forever. The girl whom I would give everything for. I loved her, so I allowed her to love another, a person who never loved her back. Because even though I loved her with every fiber of my being, I understood that she would never be capable of loving me as much as she loved Marius. I allowed her to die in her beloved's arms, as my marble heart cracked to bits. I knew that as long as she was with Marius, even if he was blabbering on about that dreadful Cosette, she was happy. So even though my beloved did not die in my arms, she died happy. I let that idiotic boy cradle her as she spoke her last words, the ones that she knew would mean the most. And she confessed her love to him and died.

"Why? What did I do to deserve this? What did she do?" I croak out through my sobs.

I am startled out of my hollow world of misery as Joly appears. He says no words, just sits next to me, grieving the life of his dear friend as well.

"I loved her," I whisper, staring at the lifeless body in my arms.

"I know," Joly replies solemnly. And we sit in silence, until he finds it the proper time to take her body and lay it on a nearby table. "We will not let her die for nothing."

That is enough to snap me out of my sorrow. For although she is dead, I am responsible for so many lives on this dreadful night. For I will not let her die in vain, nor any of the other who will surly die.

So when I find myself facing my death, it only seems fitting that it be in the back room if the Cafè Musain, where this entire revolution began. Just silly schoolboys who thought they could change the word. In this very room, the L'Amiss de ABC have met their birth and have been waltzes away by death. I gaze around at my fallen comrades, at the National Guard pointing their weapons at me. This is all on me. With Grantaire by my side, I square my jaw and raise my flag. I raise it for Eponine, for my friends, for my dear country. Nearly everything and everyone I have ever cared for is dead. So with that thought on my mind, I prepare for my imminent death.


End file.
